It may have been St. Patrick’s Day, but the Florida Gators were able to hold off the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame as they captured their fifth Schenkel Invitational title Sunday at Forest Heights Country Club.
Tournament host Georgia Southern was unable to complete the three-peat as, after winning back-to-back titles for the first time in school history, the Eagles had to settle for a fourth-place finish in one of the stronger fields in years.
“We weren’t trying to win a third one in a row, we were just trying to play well and see where that put us,” said Eagle coach Carter Collins. “I think as a team we wish we would have played the par-5s a little better but overall the fight, the heart, the hard work and all the intangibles that we can control were there. It was a very solid result in a great field and a great tournament with some pretty tricky conditions.”
On Sunday the weather was all over the place, with cool and calm conditions in the morning followed by rain, and then a lot of wind in the early afternoon. None of the weather issues seemed to bother the Gators who only shot 5-under Sunday as a team, and had all four counting players post scores of par or better. The Gators, who came into Sunday with the lead, were led by Jack Turner and Tyler Wilkes who both shot rounds of 2-under 70. Parker Bell finished tied for second individually at 10-under.
“This is an extremely special week in college golf,” said Gator coach J.C. Deacon. “I don’t think there is another tournament that gets the kind of community support that the Schenkel gets from Statesboro. I think our guys understood the magnitude of the event as soon as they showed up. Forest Heights is a lot like our golf course back home so it did suit us, especially with how fast they were around the greens. Parker Bell really stepped up for us. This was his best individual finish and he really helped the team with the win.”
The low individual medalist was Nathan Franks of South Carolina at 13 under. Franks has the unique distinction of having won two tournaments this year in Statesboro as he also took first place in the Eagle’s annual Sharkey Invitational.
“It’s pretty cool, but I think it is more of a coincidence since the two courses are not really too similar,” Franks said. “I hit the ball really well this week and my short game was pretty good. Obviously you have to putt really good on these greens as they are very fast and have big slopes and I think I did that this week.”
Leading the way for the Eagles was senior Hayden Carner who finished tied for fifth individually. Carner had the low score on Saturday after firing a 7 under 65.
“I had a really good round Saturday but I felt like I played well all three days,” Carner said. “I tried my best to embrace the nerves that came today and tried to stick to my gameplan the best I could. The Schenkel is an amazing tournament and unlike any other we play in. The fans were out and we get such great support from the Statesboro area and it makes it so excited to play here.”
Collins was once again overwhelmed by the support as well and is proud to be the host team for the event.
“You just cannot beat Statesboro,” Collins said. “They come out and support this tournament as if there is nothing else going on in the city during this four- or five-day stretch. They came out each and every day, even today when it rained for a while. It is just a special place and a special tournament and it keeps getting better every year.”
Parker Claxton led the way for all Eagle players while competing as an individual. He tied for seventh at 7-under which included a 67 on Saturday. Hogan Ingram shot a 68 on Sunday and finished tied for 23rd with teammate Brantley Baker who played as an individual. Reese Coleman shot a 71 Sunday and tied for 36th while Luke Koenig shot an even par 72 Sunday and tied for 48th along with teammate Brycen Jones. Lindsey Cordell (64th), Ian Glanton (71) and Luke Dasher (74) rounded out the scoring for the Eagles.
Up next, Georgia Southern competes in The Stitch at N.C. State April 12-13.
